Book holder with retractable book carrier



May 13, 1958 G. w. WALTERv ETAL 2,834,148

BOOK HOLDER WITH RETRCTABLE BOOK: CARRIER Filed March' 25, 1957 N NToRJ.

United States Patent BGOK HOLDER WITH RETRACTABLE BOOK CARRIER Gerald W. Walter, Kansas City, Mo., and Elwood M. Walter, Mission, Kans.

Application March 25, 1957, Serial No. 648,076 6 Claims. (Cl. 45-58) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in book holders, and relates more particularly to a book holder especially adapted to receive a telephone directory.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a book holder operable to hold a phone directory for movement between a retracted position in which it is fully covered and concealed and neatly and unobstrusively disposed, to an extended position in which it is disposed for convenient reading and examination.

Another object is the provision of a book holder of the character described which is adapted also to carry a telephone instrument, and to support the directory in convenient relation thereto.

Still another object is the provision of a novel means whereby. the directory is held or retained both in its retracted position and in its extended position.

Other objects` are simplicity and economy of construction, ease and convenience of opera-tion, and adaptability for use in holding many diterent types of books or other matter..`

With these objects in view, as well as other objects whichwill appear in the course of the specification, reference willbe Ahad to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a book holder embodying the present invention, showing the book in its retracted position in solid lines, and showing the book in its extended position and opened in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line Ii-II of Fig. l with the book in its extended position, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, with the parts turned to place the book horizontally, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV-lV of Fig. l.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 applies generally to a frame including a pair of parallel vertical side walls 4 and 6 of skeleton form, each being of trapezoidal shape and formed of rod stock, having upper and lower horizontal reaches 8 and 10 respectively, a vertical rearward reach 12 and a rearwardly and downwardly sloping forward reach 14. The open frame of each side wall may be partially closed by a decorative zig-zag wire form 16 welded or otherwise securely attached thereto. Side walls 4 and 6 are rigidly connected by a horizontal shelf 18 Welded to the upper reaches 8 of said side walls, and by a rod 20 extending horizontally between and welded to the lower portions of rearward reaches 12 of said side walls. Shelf 13 is adapted to support a telephone instrument or the like thereon, and has welded thereto a pair of brackets 22 each having a hole 24 formed therein for receiving a nail, screw, bolt or the like, by means of which the frame may be mounted on a wall or other support.

Disposed normally in frame 2, within the space between side walls 4 and 6 and below shelf 18, is a book carrier indicated generally by the numeral 26 and comprising rigid front and rear planar cover plates 28 and` 30 hingedly associated in the manner of a book. Front cover plate 28 is provided along one edge with a flange 32 formed to present tubular hinge barrels 34 journalled on a hinge pin 36, and rear cover plate 3i) is provided along one edge with a flange 38 formed to present tubular hinge barrels 40 also journalled on pin 36, whereby the cover plates may be hinged from a closed position in which they are spaced apart in substantially parallel coextensive relation, as indicated in Figs. l and 4,l to an open position in which they are disposed in co-planar edge-to-edge relation as best shown in Fig. 2. Front cover plate 28 is provided along the edge thereof opposite from ange 32 with a broader flange 42 which engages the edge of rear cover plate 30 when the carrier is closed, as shown in Fig. 4.

The carrier 26 is pivotally mounted in frame 2 by means of a pair of hanger rods 44 welded or otherwise xed at their lower ends to the rearward face of rear cover plate 30 respectively adjacent the upper corners thereof. At their upper ends, saidrods are bent out'- wardly to form a pair of coaxial stub axles 46, each of said axles being journalled in a short sleeve bearing 48 welded to the adjacent side wall 4 or 6 at the upper forward corner thereof. Thus the pivotal axis of the carrier is horizontal and parallel to the upper edge thereof.

It will be seen that when the carrier is closed, its widthAis such that it will move freely between side Walls 4 and 6 of the frame,and thus retractable to a position entirely within the frame, as shown in Fig. l. its rearwardV movement is limited bythe engagement of cover plate 30V with rod 20, asr shown. It is secured closed, and inits retracted position, by a latchV comprising a length of spring wire 5) welded at one end to liange 42 of the front cover plate, and bent to form a latch tooth 52 operable to engage behind the front reach 14 of side wall 4, as best shown in Fig. 4. Said wire is formed at its free end toV form a finger" loop Slby means of which tooth-52 may be manuall'ydeliected'inwardly and out of engagement with the side wall. When the carrier is swung outwardly until it is disposed entirely forwardly of side walls 4 and 6, it may be opened to the position shown in Fig. 2, and in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this position front cover plate 28 overlaps the front edge of side wall 6, and contact between the upper edge of said cover plate and the forward edge of said side wall, at the point 56, locks the carrier in its extended position and prevents the carrier from pivoting inwardly to its retracted position. Thus a book 58 mounted in the carrier is supported in a position convenient for reading and examination. The direction of force at contact point S6 is nearly enough parallel to cover plate hinge pin 36 that it has no appreciable tendency to pivot the covers to their closed position.

Book 53 may be mounted in carrier 26 by any suitable means, that shown comprising a flat bar 66 extending parallel to and adjacent hinge pin 36 within the carrier, said bar being provided at each end with a hinge barrel 62 journalled on hinge pin 36, and also provided at each end with an inturned ear 64. A resiliently flexible wire e6 is fixed in one of said ears, and extends parallel to said bar between the pages of book 58, the opposite end portion of said wire being confined loosely in a hole 68 formed in the other of said ears. Removal and reinsertion of the wire in hole 68, for removal or insertion of a book into the carrier, is accomplished by resilient v deflection of the central portion of said wire.

Thus it will be see that a book holder possessing several advantages has been produced. When thecarrier is closed and moved to its restricted position, the book is neatly covered and the entire device presents a pleasing appearance. The carrier is disposed entirely within the frame, the walls of said frame protecting it against damage by persons brushing thereagainst. The carrier cover plates are held securely closed by the disposition thereof between rod 20 and latch tooth 52, `thereby preventing the spreading and thickening of the book after it has been in use for extended periods of time, as is common particularly in the case of telephone directories. At the same time, the book may be very easily and quickly moved to its extended position after releasing latch tooth 52, and will automatically be retained in its extended position for reading Whenever the carrier cover plates are opened, by the interference as previously described between cover plate 28 and frame wall 6.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent that numerous minor changes of structure and operation could be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention as deiined by the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A book holder comprising a frame including a frame member, a book carrier comprising rigid front and rear cover plates hingedly joined` together along one side in the manner of a book, said rear cover plate being pivoted in said frame on an axis parallel to and spaced apart from the upper edge thereof whereby said carrier may be pivoted from a relatively vertical retracted position to a relatively horizontal extended position, said carrier being so positioned relative to said frame member that when said carrier is opened when in its extended position, said front cover plate will engage said frame member to retain said carrier in its extended position, and means operable to secure a book in said carrier with its bound edge adjacent the hinge of said carrier,

2. A book holder comprising a frame open at the front and including a side wall adjacent the front opening thereof, a book carrier comprising rigid front and rear cover plates hingedly joined alone one side thereof in the manner of a book, said rear cover plate being pivoted in said frace on an axis parallel to and spaced apart from the upper edge thereof and transverse to said frame side wall, whereby said carrier may be pivoted from a retracted position Within said frame to an extended position disposed entirely forwardly of said frame side wall, the hinge of said carrier being disposed adjacent said frame side wall, whereby when said cover plates are opened when in their extended position, said front cover will overlap the forward edge of said side wall to prevent movement of said carrier to its retracted position, and means operable to secure a book in said carrier.

3. A book holder as recited in claim 1 wherein said frame includes a pair of side walls bounding the front opening thereof and disposed closely adjacent the edges of said carrier when the latter is closed, whereby said carrier cannot be pivoted to its retracted position within said frame except when said carrier is closed, said side walls serving to protect said carrier against lateral blows when said carrier is in its retracted position.

4. A book holder as recited in claim 1 with the addition of a stop member xed in said frame and operable to limit the movement of said carrier toward its retracted position.

` 5. A book holder as recited in claim 1 with the addition of a latch member mounted on said carrier and operable to engage a cooperating member of said frame, whereby to secure said carrier releasably in its retracted position.

6. A book holder as recited in claim 1 with the addition of a stop member iixed in said frame and operable to limit the movement of said carrier toward its retracted position, and a latch member mounted on said front cover plate and operable to engage a cooperating member carried by said frame to secure said carrier releasably in its retracted position, the retention of said carrier between said stop member and said latch member serving to secure the cover plates of said carrier tightly closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 1,053,862 Paterson Feb. 18, 1913 1,238,899 Enell Sept. 4, 1917 1,980,650 Webber Nov. 13, 1934 2,784,522 Bergman Mar. 12, 1957 

